School begins on August 16th! There have been many things happening behind the scenes as we prepare for a successful school year. Despite what many think, the summer months are particularly busy for the district. During the months of June and July, we plan and prepare for the arrival of our students, which is not possible without the fantastic support staff at MPS.

These are the people who operate behind the scenes. They work diligently to prepare the school buildings, facilities, and grounds for the upcoming year. They place orders for supplies. They enroll students and transfer or update records. While this is just a few examples of what goes on over the summer months, the point is, the MPS support staff is our CORE! Their vital work goes on not only during the summer but all throughout the school year. MPS could and would not experience success without the critical functions that our support staff perform. Our success is contingent upon their performance, and they perform at a very high level. So, if you see one of our support staff while you’re out and about or at one of our school facilities, please pat them on the back and tell them “Thanks!”

Speaking of ‘Back to School’....the Back to School Resource Fair is Tuesday, August 7th from 4pm-7pm at the Miami Civic Center. Students can receive haircuts, health, dental, and vision screenings, as well as additional community resources. Also, the Ottawa County United Way, in collaboration with Bright Futures, is hosting a ‘Stuff the Bus’ event on August 4th from 9am-5pm at both Wal-Mart and Shoe Sensations. The school supplies collected will be donated to Teacher’s Toolbox and the shoes will be donated to the shoe program at the Presbyterian Church. Volunteers will be at both these locations accepting these items. The church and individual schools will then have the resources to help our students in need. If possible, please participate as we strive to make sure all students are prepared for this upcoming school year.

We look forward to a productive school year. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as we celebrate the successes of MPS!!!

The 2018-2019 school year is rapidly approaching and we are scrambling feverishly (honesty is the best policy) to prepare ourselves for the arrival of staff and students. The scrambling comes as we close out a fiscal year (June 30th) and begin another (July 1st). All this while trying to find some time to spend with family (vacation) and attending a few professional conferences. Anyway, on to the purpose of this post so I can share some recent accomplishments and exciting things to come.

June 30, 2018 marked the completion of my second year as Superintendent at Miami Public Schools. I do not take this role and the responsibilities that come with it lightly. Saying this, one of the biggest challenges of this position is identifying areas in need improvement. Over the last two years we have upgraded facilities, technology hardware and software, increased programs, increased volunteer opportunities, and established several community partnerships in addition to receiving over $1M in grant funding.

We understand that improvement is a never ending process and takes a collaborative effort.

During the 2017-2018 school year we engaged stakeholders to help the district develop a continuous strategic improvement (CSI) plan. Through every stage of the CSI plan we involved stakeholders including students, parents, community members, teachers, administrators, and board members.

Please know, we are committed to this (improvement) plan and will communicate our progress regularly. We will publish both district and site report cards on our website every quarter. The entire CSI plan can be viewed at our website.

Speaking of websites, I am excited to let you know that MPS has launched a new website. (http://www.miami.k12.ok.us/) This is part of our effort to better communicate with our stakeholders and let you know of all the great things happening at MPS!